


Cast Into the Empty Sky

by dearfriendicanfly



Category: DREAM!ing (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, if colopl won't give kasuka his happy ending then I Will, the sparrow....... its a metaphor................, yes there is very little actual minakasu in this story but look....
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-01 21:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20265112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearfriendicanfly/pseuds/dearfriendicanfly
Summary: “I think you should be the one to send him off,” Shinya smiles. “Since you were the one who found him.”Kasuka glances up at the sky, cloudless and deep blue. On days like this, its vastness almost makes him dizzy. The wind at his back is nearly strong enough to make him lose his balance, and he feels his heart quicken as he imagines the little bird, buffeted around by a harsh current. Maybe its safer in the box. Maybe it would be better if he had never touched it.An alternate ending to the story of Kasuka and the sparrow.





	Cast Into the Empty Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to Itzel, who introduced me to dream!ing and cried with me while I wrote this horrendously late at night.
> 
> Kasuka Deserved To Pet The Sparrow Okay.

“_Chunchun~!_”

Kasuka flinches, smacking Minato’s hand from his shoulder. 

“You would ambush me from behind?! So not only are you the embodiment of deceit, but cowardice as well?!”

“Haha, no silly, I’m a little birdie, can’t you tell?” The boy lets out a low coo, flapping his hands like a fool. “I thought maybe Kasuka-chan would show me his soft side if I were a cute little sparrow, like Chunpyon!”

Kasuka’s scowl deepens from behind his fringe. 

_ What an idiotic name. _

“You’re nothing like a sparrow, you great, lumbering oaf. Your voice grates on my patience like–“

“Haha you say the funniest things, Kasuka-chan.” With a swift - and oddly practiced - movement, Minato slips his hand behind Kasuka’s elbow and links arms. Kasuka desperately tries to wrench himself away as his roommate leads him out of the dorm.

“Bastard, where the hell are you taking me?!”

“To the infirmary! Shin-chan says it’s time for little Chunpyon to fly again.”

Kasuka freezes. “The sparrow is... going to fly?”

“Yep! He’s all healed up now, so we’re all gathering together to say goodbye and see him off!”

For a long moment, Kasuka is silent. He stands with his arm just barely in Minato’s grip, staring at the floor. After what feels like an eternity, he slowly relaxes his arm, letting Minato hold it close. 

“...All right. I’ll go.”

“Hooray~!”

Minato smiles brightly, but for once, he lets their walk pass in silence, satisfying himself with one arm wrapped snugly around Kasuka’s elbow and the other one floating about his waist. And for once, Kasuka pays it no mind, lost in his own thoughts. 

He isn’t sure what to make of the weight sitting in the pit of his chest. But somehow, he thinks it must be selfish.

* * *

The infirmary is already plenty lively when the two of them arrive. Shion sits on one of the infirmary beds, humming and cooing softly at the little bird nestled in a box on the table beside her. Shigure sits beside her, watching Shinya gratefully wolf down the lunch that Kasuka surmises he must have brought to him. When he and Minato enter the room, Shinya nearly chokes, trying to swallow everything at once.

“Cough - Th-there you are, Kasuka-kun!” He waves them over, and Minato lets out a delighted gasp as he and Kasuka peer at the sparrow in the box. His wing is no longer bandaged, and the broken feathers have grown back in, lustrous and healthy. It peers back up at them, cocking it’s head curiously.

“He looks gorgeous!” Minato mewls, giving Kasuka’s arm a happy squeeze. “Now little Chunpyon will be able to find his nest again! His Maman must be worried~”

“He’s not a chick,” Shion sighs. “He would have left his nest ages ago.”

“Haha, but a son is still his Maman’s little boy no matter how old he gets.”

“Speak for yourself...”

“Now, now,” Shigure murmurs, giving Shion a meaningful look, “let’s not stress out the little guy before he even has a chance to fly. Shinya took special care of him, so we should make sure to see him off with a smile.”

“Aw, heh... it wasn’t anything that impressive.”

Even with Minato’s arms still around him, Kasuka can feel himself fading into the background. As usual, the conversation flows easily without him, too fast for him to find a foothold. The longer he goes without speaking, the more he is ignored, and their talk soon becomes a dull roar in the back of his head as he gazes at the little bird. The weight in his chest grows heavier with every moment, and he wishes he knew why.

“But really, some of the credit goes to Kasuka-kun.”

Kasuka jumps, startled at being addressed. Without thinking, almost as a reflex, he presses closer to Minato. “W-W-What?”

Shinya smiles kindly. “When I found the bird, Minato-kun mentioned he’d seen you feeding it, right, Kasuka-kun? If you hadn’t, it probably would have starved.”

Kasuka can feel his cheeks burning, wrapping his free arm tightly around himself. “It’s not... I-I mean, I did feed it, but...”

“How sweet,” Shion smiles, resting her cheek in one hand.

Shigure chuckles. “I didn’t expect Kasuka-kun to have a soft side like that.”

“He’s a hero!” Minato laughs, airy and bright like a chime. “Kasuka-chan is exactly the kind of person I thought~”

“W-What do you mean by that?” Kasuka finally manages to wrench his arm from Minato’s grip, shaking slightly under everyone’s gazes. “Are you making fun of me?!”

“Nope!” Minato reaches down to pet the bird’s head gently, earning a soft, contented trill. “I mean to say that Kasuka-chan is very gentle and kind.”

Kasuka’s breath catches in his throat. For once, he has no response to Minato’s frankness. He doesn’t speak again as he watches Shinya and Shigure carefully pack up the makeshift nest and get everything ready to be taken outside. 

_ I’m... kind? _

Kasuka thinks that kindness shouldn’t make his heart feel heavy like a stone.

* * *

The sky is clear and the breeze cool and crisp, and in a rare moment of whimsy, Kasuka thinks that if he had wings, he would like to fly on a day just like this. For some reason, the thought makes that ache in his heart even sharper. 

Slowly, gently, Shinya removes the lid from Chunpyon’s box and lets the sunlight glide over his new feathers. It’s almost dazzling, the way they glisten. Shion gasps softly, and even Shigure’s eyes sparkle.

“What a beauty!” Minato cries, and Kasuka realizes with a start that there’s tears in his eyes. “He’ll look so pretty, flying off into the sunset...”

“It’s barely even lunchtime,” Shion points out bluntly.

“Haha, it’ll set at some point.”

Kasuka glances up at the sky, cloudless and deep blue. On days like this, its vastness almost makes him dizzy. The wind at his back is nearly strong enough to make him lose his balance, and he feels his heart quicken as he imagines the little bird, buffeted around by a harsh current. Maybe its safer in the box. Maybe it would be better if he had never touched it. Maybe his heart feels so heavy because he knows nothing good can come of being cast into such an empty sky-

“Kasuka-kun, open your hands, please.”

Distracted and startled, Kasuka holds out his palms without thinking. To his shock, Shinya gently places the little sparrow into them.

“What are you-?!”

“I think you should be the one to send him off,” Shinya smiles. “Since you were the one who found him.”

Kasuka’s breaths come harsh and fast, and his hands shake as he stares at the bird. It stares back at him calmly. 

“It won’t hurt you,” Shigure says encouragingly, laying a hand on Kasuka’s shoulder. “Look, he trusts you!”

Sure enough, the little bird nestles into his grip and lets out a contented little chirp. He feels soft and surprisingly warm, almost like the snowman plush that sits on Kasuka’s bed.

“Oh! Do you hear that, Kasuka-chan?” Minato leans in close, listening intently to Chunpyon’s song.

“Mmhmm... mm... mmhmm...”

After a moment, he looks up at Kasuka earnestly. “Did you hear it?”

Kasuka frowns, shaking his head. 

Minato stands up and smiles, reaching out to stroke the little bird's head one last time. “He said, ‘thank you.’”

Kasuka can feel his cheeks heating up as he stammers, "H-He said no such thing. Don't be a fool." But his heart gives a little flutter as Chunpyon happily leans into Minato's touch. It's a ridiculous urge. A selfish one, even. But...

Slowly, haltingly, Kasuka stretches out his thumb to caress the bird's wing. It lets out a little chirp, nearly making Kasuka jump, but when he looks nervously at Shinya, he sees that Shinya is smiling warmly. On his other side, unseen by Kasuka, Minato's eyes sparkle.

Kasuka swallows and strokes the wing again, and Chunpyon lets out another happy trill.

A lump rises in Kasuka's throat. It was a mistake, after all.

“...It’s time to send him off,” Shinya says gently.

“I don’t know how,” Kasuka whispers.

“You’ll have to toss him into the air,” Shion says. “He needs a little push.”

Kasuka feels the familiar panic start to set in. Is this what’s right? Will the bird survive? What if he hurts its wing again in the toss? What if just being near Kasuka has cursed it with bad luck? What if... Kasuka doesn’t want to say goodbye?

Shinya places a hand just beneath Kasuka’s. “On the count of three.”

Kasuka swallows and nods.

“One...”

Minato places one hand beneath Kasuka’s other hand, and the other on the small of his back, and Kasuka sees that he’s choking back tears again, in spite of his smile.

“Two...”

Shigure’s hand is still rubbing comforting circles on Kasuka’s upper back, and Shion watches the whole ordeal with what Kasuka thinks is the ghost of a smile.

“Three.”

The bird looks at Kasuka one last time before turning its gaze skyward, as if it knows exactly what’s coming. 

When Kasuka tosses him into the air, he watches breathlessly as the bird’s wings unfurl themselves and catch the wind. As it soars off into the blue, Kasuka gasps, suddenly finding the air in his lungs again. An indescribable emotion fills him to bursting as Chunpyon fades into a speck against the sun, and Kasuka suddenly realizes that he’s taken the heaviness in his heart with him. 

_Did I... did I do that?_

Minato breaks into tears as the bird vanishes, burying his face in Kasuka’s shoulder. To everyone’s shock, Kasuka doesn’t react. He thinks if he were to try to speak, rather than words, what would flow from his mouth is this raw emotion. 

He thinks it might be pride.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that was my first Dream!ing fic! I'm actually not up to date on all of the content as I've only just started getting into the game, and well... I haven't even read the main story........ I just keep indulging myself with the Kasuka centric stories skjdfhgjkd
> 
> I'm excited to get up to date with everything and maybe write more for these boys!! I hope you guys enjoyed, and as always, kudos and comments are appreciated more than words can say <3


End file.
